THE SCHWARZENEGGER EFFECT; Spotlight on No. 2

By JESSE McKINLEY

Published: November 25, 2009

It was the type of Must See TV that NBC was no doubt hoping for when it handed over its 10 p.m. slot to Jay Leno. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, a big star facing an even bigger state deficit, was there on the Leno show on Monday, smiling, as he announced his selection for lieutenant governor.

''It will be Senator Abel Maldonado,'' the governor said.

''Wow,'' Mr. Leno said.

''Who?'' might have been an apter response. While known in California political circles, Mr. Maldonado is hardly a household name. A 42-year-old Republican from central California, the senator gained his main claim to fame by crossing party lines this year to help Mr. Schwarzenegger pass a budget in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

That crossing the aisle seemed, however, unlikely to give Mr. Maldonado a painless confirmation to fill the spot left vacant when Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a Democrat, was elected to Congress. Hours after the Leno show, State Senator Darrell Steinberg, the president pro tem of the Senate, issued a statement congratulating Mr. Maldonado but expressing ''grave doubts'' about his nomination.

On Tuesday, the governor's staff fired back, saying a quick confirmation would save taxpayer money in the face of the state's continuing money problems. (An estimate last week put the deficit for the current and the coming fiscal years at $21 billion.) JESSE McKINLEY